RACEGOERS GET CLOSE UPAND PERSONAL WITH STARS OF THE SPRING

RACEGOERS attending the 2009 Spring Carnival at Royal Randwick will be closer than ever to the stars of the show – the horses.

A brand new race day stall complex will be in use for the first time on George Main Stakes Day this Saturday that allows the public to get up close and personal with some of the most exciting thoroughbreds in the country.

 

Complete with electronic signs on each of the 122 day stalls, the “theatre of the horse” style development allows easy identification and unprecedented access for the public.

Once leaving the stalls the horses will parade on a new path along the length of the general admission area before entering the mounting yard to pick up their jockeys.

The old brick day stalls have been knocked down to make way for a new public entrance and bus way along Alison Road that will be in use in a restricted capacity this Saturday as work nears completion.

The new complex is located behind the Leger Lawn to the south of the Paddock Grandstand.

Although it will be fully operational this Saturday the site requires further landscaping and final touches to reach its full potential.

The stalls are a significant part of the $33 million Stage 1 of the Club’s Royal Randwick Master Plan that includes the bus way, the recently opened taxiway off Doncaster Avenue and other behind-the-scenes future proofing of facilities ahead of further development.

The state-of-the-art complex is of a quality that would impress even the most travelled international racegoer, said AJC Vice Chairman John Cornish.

“The new complex is a major achievement for the Club and will showcase the stars of the show like never before,” Mr Cornish said.

“Nothing excites race goers more than champion horses and this is all about maximising the race day experience for our customers.

“It not only makes the course safer for the horses and the public, it brings them closer together at the same time.”

As they leave or enter the new complex horses will pass through a new swab building complete with testing stalls and laboratories.

The new location will see all horse floats diverted along an upgraded service road connecting to High Street that allows them to arrive and depart “back of house”.

AUSTRALIAN JOCKEY CLUB MEDIA RELEASE

Contact: Rod Allen 0419 692 856